Apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias

Abstract

This invention concerns an apparatus and method for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. More particularly, this invention is directed to a method for ablating a portion of an organ or bodily structure of a patient, which comprises obtaining a perspective image of the organ or structure to be mapped; advancing one or more catheters having distal tips to sites adjacent to or within the organ or structure, at least one of the catheters having ablation ability; sensing the location of each catheter's distal tip using a non-ionizing field; at the distal tip of one or more catheters, sensing local information of the organ or structure; processing the sensed information to create one or more data points; superimposing the one or more data points on the perspective image of the organ or structure; and ablating a portion of the organ or structure.

I claim: 
     
       1. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises: (a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within a patient's heart;   (b) means for sensing location information at the site;   (c) means for sensing local information concerning the heart's electrical activity at the site;   (d) means for processing sensed information from means (b) and (c) to create one or more data points;   (e) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c) and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart's electrical pathways; and   (f) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of 1 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or said map to receiving means. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or said map received by receiving means onto an image receiving means. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 3 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means. 
     
     
       5. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises: (a) means for obtaining a perspective image of a patient's heart;   (b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;   (c) means for sensing location information at the site;   (d) means for sensing local information concerning the heart's electrical activity at the site;   (e) means for processing sensed information from means (c) and (d) to create one or more data points;   (f) means for repeating the functions of means (b), (c), (d) and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart's electrical pathways;   (g) means for superimposing said data points from means (e) or map from means (f) on the perspective image of the heart; and   (h) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose   electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.   
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 5 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or map and said perspective image to receiving means. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 6 which further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on the perspective image of the organ or bodily structure. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 6 which additionally comprises means for projecting said data points or said map and said perspective image received by receiving means onto an image receiving means. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 8 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map and said perspective image on the said image receiving means. 
     
     
       10. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises: (a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more reference catheters at a site adjacent to or within a patient's heart;   (b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more mapping/ablation catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;   (c) means for sensing location information at each site;   (d) means for sensing local information concerning the heart's electrical activity at a site with each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip;   (e) means for processing sensed information from means (c) and (d) to create one or more data points;   (f) means for repeating the functions of means (b), (c), (d), and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart's electrical pathways; and   (g) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.   
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 10 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or said map to receiving means. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 11 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or said map received by receiving means onto an image receiving means. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of claim 12 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means. 
     
     
       14. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises: (a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more reference catheters at a site adjacent to or within a patient's heart;   (b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more mapping/ablation catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;   (c) means for sensing location information at each site;   (d) means for determining relative location of the mapping/ablation catheter distal tip relative to reference catheter distal tips;   (e) means for sensing local information concerning the heart's electrical activity at a site with each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip;   (f) means for processing sensed information from means (d) and (e) to create one or more data points;   (g) means for repeating the functions of means (b), (c), (d) and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart's electrical pathways; and   (h) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.   
     
     
       15. The apparatus of claim 14 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or said map to receiving means. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of claim 15 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or said map received by receiving means onto an image receiving means. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of claim 16 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means. 
     
     
       18. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises: (a) means for obtaining a perspective image of a patient's heart;   (b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more reference catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;   (c) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more mapping/ablation catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;   (d) means for sensing location information at each site;   (e) means for sensing local information concerning the heart's electrical activity at a site with each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip;   (f) means for processing sensed information from means (d) and (e) to create one or more data points;   (g) means for repeating the functions of means (b) , (c), (d), (e) and (f) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart's electrical pathways;   (h) means for superimposing said data points from means (f) and (g) on the perspective image of the heart; and   (i) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.   
     
     
       19. The apparatus of claim 18 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or map and said perspective image to receiving means. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of claim 19 which further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on the perspective image of the organ or bodily structure. 
     
     
       21. The apparatus of claim 19 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or map and said perspective image received by receiving means onto an image receiving means. 
     
     
       22. The apparatus of claim 21 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means. 
     
     
       23. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises: (a) means for obtaining a perspective image of the heart;   (b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more reference catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;   (c) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more mapping/ablation catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;   (d) means for sensing location information at each site;   (e) means for determining relative location of each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip relative to reference catheter distal tips;   (f) means for sensing local information concerning the heart's electrical activity at a site with each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip;   (g) means for processing sensed information from means (e) and (f) to create one or more data points;   (h) means for repeating the functions of means (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart's electrical pathways;   (i) means for superimposing said data points from means (g) and (h) on the perspective image of the heart; and   (j) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.   
     
     
       24. The apparatus of claim 23 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or map and said perspective image to receiving means. 
     
     
       25. The apparatus of claim 24 which further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on the perspective image of the organ or bodily structure. 
     
     
       26. The apparatus of claim 24 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or map and said perspective image received by receiving means onto an image receiving means. 
     
     
       27. The apparatus of claim 26 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means. 
     
     
       28. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, 10, 14, 18, or 23, wherein sensing location information is achieved using a non-ionizing field.